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TGIF : weekly round-up (WE Fri 24 Apr 09)

by Scott Andrew Bird | April 24, 2009
Filed in TGIF

Precious McKenzie.

A brilliant week here on Straight to the Bar. The highlights :

Articles : Josh discussed the value of a second opinion, Frank fine-tuned the bar path and I took a look at several variations of the humble Squat. Good fun.
Videos : we saw Chuck squatting an insane 1,110lb, a 104kg Europinch and the 'Brooklyn Monk' investigated Muay Thai Sangha. Nice one.
Elsewhere : Jedd's Speed Bag Resources shows how to use this wonderful piece of equipment, Eddie Goldman illustrates both the boxing and MMA scenes on the No Holds Barred podcast and the team over at Swager Strength makes some very interesting custom Strongman equipment.
Ideas : Stone training without the stones? Try the Bear Hug Deadlift. Grab a medium-length rope and test-drive a few Rope Power Circles, and get your heartrate up with a couple of sets of Gorilla Cleans. Superb.

Bonus - Pull-ups, Pull-downs and Shoulder Injuries

Paul Zaichik takes a very interesting look at how pull-up and pull-down form plays a key role in shoulder health. If you've ever been told to 'keep your shoulders down', watch this.

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on the rack

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Straight to the Bar is very much an interactive website. In addition to the articles here, there are a number of ways to share your passion with other lovers of the iron :

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reading

the team

There are several great writers here, looking at the world of strength training from a number of angles. The regulars :

Scott Bird (@scottbird)
Writer and Fitness enthusiast
Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson (@jeddjohnson)
Grip champion and Strongman
'Unbreakable' Adam T Glass (@adamtglass)
Bending freak and Strongman
Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker
Bodybuilder and Writer
Joe Hashey (@jhashey)
Athlete, Teacher and Trainer
Josh Hanagarne (@joshhanagarne)
Kettlebell and grip afficionado
Bill Long (@bill_long1)
SPC and grip fanatic

In addition, articles are submitted from across the globe. Got a piece you'd like to share? Let us know.

training at work

There's always a way to train while you're at work. (Josh Hanagarne)

lb to kg, kg to lb

(how to use the converter)

elsewhere

This is a fantastic book. If you've ever considered learning this incredible strength feat, the Card Tearing eBook (review) is the perfect place to start. Love it.

In addition to the articles on this site are a number I've written elsewhere. Including :

thanks to

I get regular questions regarding the hosting of this site, my favourite stats package and so on, so here are a few details :

Web hosting : pair Networks
Email : AWeber
Stats : pMetrics
Feeds : FeedBurner
Computer : MacBook Pro

Pair is easily the fastest and most reliable host I've come across - perfect for a site like this. If you're setting up your own blog, forum or ezine; check them out. Brilliant.

what to get?

Thanks for dropping by. If you’d like to help support this site (and get in great shape at the same time), here’s a list of strength-training books, DVDs and tools I recommend. Love them.

Dragon Door Kettlebells
These are easily the best kettlebells I've used; and I'd strongly recommend them above all others. Well-made, comfortable to use and ready to take any abuse you send their way. Love them.
RMAX Clubbells
I'm a big fan of leverage training in any form, especially things like the RMAX Clubbells. Beautiful things.
MBG Powerwheel
Although I generally avoid single-purpose tools, I'll happily make an exception for the Powerwheel. Ab training has never been so much fun.
Battling Rope Kit
This is easily my favourite form of conditioning work. Incredibly fun, exhausting and - most importantly - effective.
Precision Nutrition
When it comes to body transformation - whether that's a increase in strength, packing on a bit of muscle or losing a bit of excess fat - this is the perfect place to start. Dr Berardi's Precision Nutrition.
Gymboss Interval Timer
If you've ever tried to do interval work with a stopwatch, or by counting out the time, grab a Gymboss. The perfect way to time your fat-shedding sessions.
The Ultimate Sandbag
I love sandbag training, and this is definitely the way to do it right. Beautiful thing.